Nurses working in diabetes are well
aware of the explosion in the diabetes
population and the implications this has
had on workload, working practice and pressure
on resources. The number of people with diabetes
has doubled since 1996, with 3.2 million people
diagnosed and an estimated 630 000 undiagnosed
in the UK (Diabetes UK, 2014). Diabetes
prevalence in the UK is expected to reach 5 million
by 2025.
The number of people with dementia is also
rapidly increasing, with an estimated 850 000
people living with the condition in the UK and
this figure set to reach over 1 million by 2025
(Alzheimer’s Society, 2014). The proportion of
people with dementia doubles for every 5-year
increase in age from the age of 30 years, and one
in 14 people aged 65 years or older have dementia.
Overall, 70% of people living in care homes have
dementia or severe memory loss.